Temperature and vacuum responsive control valve



Nov. 12, 1968 T. J. SULLIVAN TEMPERATURE AND VACUUM RESPONSIVE CONTROL VALVE Filed Feb. 21, 1966 INVENTOR Timothy J. Sullivan ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,410,485 TEMPERATURE AND VACUUM RESPONSIVE CONTROL VALVE Timothy J. Sullivan, Butte, Mont., assignor t Sullivan Valve and Engineering Company, Butte, Mont., a corporation of Montana Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 529,123 7 Claims. (Cl. 23661) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Temperature and vacuum responsive control valve controlling operation of the steam radiator from room temperature. Bimetal strip automatically closes the discharge of the air valve when the room temperature is up and vacuum breaker will automatically open when steam pressure is down or vacuum exists in the radiator allowing air to enter the radiator, and automatically proportions the radiator to the room temperature. Without this vacuum, steam would automatically fill the radiator even though room temperature was up and bimetal strip has closed the valve from temperature.

This invention relates to a temperature and vacuum responsive control valve for controlling the operation of steam radiators.

In steam radiator heating systems, means are generally provided for interrupting the boiler supply when the pressure setting exceeds a predetermined value. Since the radiators are in the most exposed areas, the pressures thereof drop quickly whereby air is often drawn back into the system via the conventional radiator air valves. However, if a given room is up to temperature so that the radiator air valve is closed, the unit is isolated from atmosphere and a vacuum condition is established. Consequently, when the steam pressure is again increased, it will naturally go to those radiators having a vacuum condition rather than to those radiators which require a pressure build-up to drive the air therefrom. To avoid the above and other drawbacks of the known steam radiator heating systems, the temperature and vacuum responsive valve means of the instant invention was developed.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a temperature and vacuum responsive control valve adapted to isolate a steam radiator air valve from atmosphere when room temperature exceeds a given value, and to automatically vent the air valve to atmosphere upon the lowering of steam pressure, whereby the creation of a deleterious vacuum condition in the radiator is avoided.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a control valve of the type described above including a housing containing a first chamber in communication with the orifice of a conventional radiator air valve, a wall portion of said chamber including a pair of passages for atfording communication with atmosphere. One of the passages is adapted to be closed by normally-open temperature-responsive valve means. The other of the passages is adapted to be opened, when the said one passage is closed, by normally-closed vacuum-responsive valve means.

According to another object of the invention, the temperature responsive valve means includes a vertically arranged U-shaped bimetallic operating member that is at least partially arranged in a second chamber contained in the housing for communication with the first chamber via said pair of passages. The second chamber contains openings at its upper and lower ends to permit the vertical flow of air therethrough by convection.

According to a more specific object of the invention, the U-shaped bimetallic member includes a pair of relatively-long vertical legs the lower ends of which are connected by a bridging portion arranged in an openended vertical sleeve the upper end of which communicates with the second chamber. The bimetallic member carries a valve member which, upon flexure of the U-shaped member, is arranged to close one of the passages. Owing to the vertical arrangement and relatively long length of the legs of the U-shaped member, an extremely accurate temperature response is achieved. According to a characteristic feature of the invention, means are provided for vertically displacing said U-shaped bimetallic member relative to the control valve housing to vary the temperature at which the first chamber is isolated from atmosphere.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the temperature and vacuum responsive valve means of the present invention mounted upon the upper end of a conventional air valve for a steam radiator; and

FIGURES 25 are sectional views taken along lines 2-2, 13-3, 44 and 5-5 of FIGURE 1, respectively.

Referring now to the drawing, the temperature and vacuum responsive valve means includes a rigid housing 2 containing a cavity divided into a pair of chambers 4 and 6 by a transverse wall 8. The bottom wall of the first chamber 4 contains an opening 10 which receives the upper end portion of the housing 12 of a conventional thermostatic radiator air valve. The space between valve housing 12 and the wall of opening 10 is completely sealed by the annular mass 14 (which may comprise a mass of settable material such as an epoxy resin, a solder joint or the like). The bottom portion of the housing includes also a second opening 16 for providing communication between chamber 6 and atmosphere. Secured at its upper end within the second opening 16 is a tubular open-ended member 18.

At its upper end, the housing includes a removable cover portion 2a that is connected with the main body portion 2b by a pair of screws 20, said cover containing also a plurality of vent passages 22 for venting the upper end of chamber 6 to atmosphere.

The transverse wall 8 contains a pair of passages 26, 28 that afford communication between chambers 4 and 6. Mounted within the second chamber 6 for closing the first passage 26 are normally-open temperature responsive valve means including a valve member 29 carried by a generally U-shaped bimetallic operating member 30. The member 30 includes a pair of vertical leg portions 30a, 3% connected at their lower ends by a bridging portion 30c. The leg portion 30b terminates at its upper end in a right-angled horizontal portion 30d to the free end of which is secured the valve element 29. The leg portion 30a terminates at its upper end in a right-angled portion 30c that is secured to a nut 32 which is threadably mounted for vertical movement upon bolt 34. Bolt 34 is journalled in an opening in housing cover portion 2a and is rigidly connected at its upper end with a dial 36 by a screw 38. Spring 40, which is arranged between nut 32 and housing portion 2a, biases downwardly the assemblage including dial 36, bolt 34, nut 32, the U- shaped bimetallic carrier 30, and the valve element 29. Rotation of nut 32 relative to housing 2 is prevented by the projection 44 (FIGURE 4) which extends laterally from the nut into vertical guide slot 46.

In order to limit the extent of angular movement of dial 36 (and thereby limit the extent of vertical movement of nut 32 and valve element 29 relative to transverse wall 8), the dial is provided with a downwardly depending projection 48 arranged to alternately engage the screws 20. In the preferred embodiment, the angle of rotation of dial 36 is limited to approximately 270 degrees.

The passage 28 contained in transverse wall 8 is normally closed by the valve element 56 which includes a valve stem 58 that extends upwardly through passage 28 and carries at its upper end an abutment 60. A relatively light spring 62 biases valve element 56 upwardly toward a normally closed position relative to passage 28.

OPERATION Assuming that the conventional air valve 12 has been installed on a steam radiator, the air valve orifice 12a normally communicates with atmosphere via chamber 4, passage 26, chamber 6, and vent openings 16 and 22. Room air flows by convection upwardly to atmosphere via vent openings 22.

In the event that room temperature should now increase above the setting of dial 36, bimetallic member 30 flexes to close valve element 29 upon passage 26, whereupon chamber 4 is isolated from chamber 6 and the supply of air to, or steam from, the air valve orifice 12a is interrupted. The radiator to which the air valve 12 is connected is now in an air bound condition.

Assuming now that the pressure of chamber 4 should drop to a value below that of chamber 6, vacuum relief valve member 56 is displaced downwardly against the restoring force of spring 62 to open passage 28, whereupon atmospheric air from chamber 6 is admitted to chamber 4 via vpassage 28. Since the vacuum is broken, any condensation formed in the radiator is caused to return to the boiler. When the pressure in chamber 4 increases to the value at which the restoring force of spring 62 is no longer overcome, valve 56 closes to again isolate chamber 4 from chamber 6. When room temperature falls to the value set by dial 36, bimetallic element 30 returns to its original configuration, whereupon valve 29 is lifted from passage 26 to again permit free communication between chambers 4 and 6.

To vary the temperature at which passage 26- is closed by valve element 29, dial 36 and bolt 34 are rotated to effect vertical movement of nut 32, member 30 and valve element 29 relative to transverse wall 8.

While in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have illustrated and described the preferred form and embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made in the apparatus described without deviating from the invention set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Temperature and vacuum responsive valve means for controlling the operation of a steam radiator having a thermostatic air valve, comprising a rigid housing containing first and second chambers divided by a transverse wall containing first and second passages, said housing containing also a wall opening adapted to afford communication between said first chamber and said radiator air valve, and

vent means for venting said second chamber to atimosphere to permit the flow of ambient air by convection therethrough;

normally-open temperature-responsive valve means including a bimetallic operating member at least partially contained within said second chamber for closing said first passage when the ambient temperature exceeds a given value; and

vacuum-responsive valve means normally closing said second housing assage, said vacuum-responsive valve means being operable to open said second passage when the pressure of the first chamber falls below a given value.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said wall opening is contained in the lower portion of said housing and wherein the said transverse wall portion is arranged horizontally above said first wall opening.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said vacuumresponsive means comprises a valve element arranged in said first chamber and including a valve stem extending upwardly through the second of said passages, and spring means cooperating with said valve stem to bias said valve element upwardly toward a closed position relative to said second passage.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said vent means includes a second wall opening contained in the bottom portion of the housing, and at least one third wall opening contained in the top portion of the housin? and further including an open-ended vertically arranged tubular sleeve secured at its upper end within said second opening, said bimetallic operating member having a U- shaped configuration including a pair of parallel vertical leg portions extending downwardly in said sleeve, the lower ends of said leg portions being connected by a bridging portion contained within said sleeve.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said ternperature-responsive valve means includes in said second chamber a valve member carried by the upper end of a first one of said legs, and further including means adjustably connecting the upper end of the second of said legs for vertical movement relative to the upper portion of said housing.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said adjustable connecting means includes a vertical bolt journalled in the upper portion of said housing, and a nut threaded upon the lower end of said bolt for vertical movement relative to said housing and connected with said second leg of said bimetallic member.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said adjusting [means includes also a dial secured to the upper end of said bolt, and further including stop means on said housing and on said dial for limiting the angle of rotation of said bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,549,238 4/1951 Reinke 236-61 2,975,801 3/ 1961 Kuypers 23 692 X WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

